Inventing the Church: The Pull of the Past in Ecclesial Politics

Why is the official narrative of the history of the Catholic Church so discordant with the archival sources of the Middle Ages? From the fifteenth century down to the present day, the Church has constructed an identity and a past at odds with what the records show—expanding the authority and power of the papacy in ways that have striking broader political implications.

This audacious and nuanced book explores how the Church has repeatedly invented and reinvented itself through a constant bac...